Tigers snap up prop Davies

Castleford Tigers today confirmed they have signed 23-year-old former Wigan and Widnes prop Ben Davies on a deal until the end of this season.

Davies joins the Tigers for the second time after being released by Widnes this week.

He featured seven times for the Tigers during the 2011 season, scoring two tries, after being signed on loan from Wigan.

Davies said: “I’m excited – it’s good to be back. As soon as I heard that Cas were interested in me I jumped at the chance.

“I’ve got the bit between my teeth about coming here and doing a really good job for this season and hopefully beyond.

“I’ve only been here for one day and I’m reminded already of how good it is. The coaching staff has changed, but Daryl Powell and Danny Orr are great people and it’s good to be coached by them so I’m up for staying for a long time.

“I loved it last time I was here - it changed my career because even though I was only here for a short time, I’d only ever been at one club before then. When I came here and saw what the atmosphere and boys were like, it was completely new and I thought this was the kind of place I wanted to be at. I had signed for somebody else before I had the chance to really kick on here which was a bit sad for me, but I’m glad I’ve got another chance.

“For one reason or another, things were not working out for me at Widnes so I asked whether I could move on to pursue playing more regularly. I spoke to my agent and he told me a few days later that Cas were really interested so as soon as I heard that I wasn’t listening to anybody else.

“I feel I’ve got a point to prove. Last year I played every single game for Widnes and I felt that I proved that I was more than capable of playing Super League every week, even though I’m only 23-years-old. To have it cut from beneath me this year was really frustrating so I want to play every week and show people what I can do and prove my worth.

“I’m here until the end of the season with a view to staying longer if I prove myself. When I spoke to Daryl I told him that I just want to prove my worth and that’s what I’m here to do.

Tigers head coach Daryl Powell said: “I’m delighted to have Ben on board. We’ve got some key games coming up and he’s really going to help.

“Speaking to Ben it’s clear that he’s desperate to be here and desperate to play in Super League. He brings aggression, go forward and he’s got a good skill set. I’ve spoken to people about the last time that he was here and everybody was delighted with his impact so I think all those things that he will bring to the pack are much needed.

“We’ve got a couple of injuries at the moment to some of our bigger guys. We don’t have the biggest squad anyway so it adds competition for places to the solid pack that we have.”